Apparatus for treatment of hydrocarbons



w.v F: Hmm/m. APPARATUSTOR TREATMENT or HYoRoCARoNs.

1 APPLICATION FILED NOV- 7. `i917.

1 $52,917. PatentdSept- 14,1920.

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APPARATUS FOR TREATMENT 0F HYDROCARBONS. APPLICAHON FlLED Nov. 7, 1917.

1 3 52, 9 1 7. Patented Sept. 14, 1920.

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OFFICE.

WALTER F. BITTMAN, F PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA.

APPARATUS ron 'rREA'rMENroF nYDnocAnnoNs.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patentd Sept. 14:,v 1920,

application mea November 7, 1917. serial No. 200,731.

To all whom it may com-ern.'

Be it known that I, WALTER F. RITTMAN, residing at Pittsburgh in the county of Allegheny and State of lnennsylvania, a citizen of the United States,rhave invented or discovered certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Treatment of Hydrocarbons, of which improvement the following is a specification.

In an application filed Feb. 5th, 1917 Serial Number 146,720, is described and claimed a method of treating hydrocarbons having a high boiling point in such manner as to produce hydrocarbons of a lower bolling point, such method consisting substantially in subjecting the oil, while in a liquid state, to such a temperature aS will, at least,

. initiate the cracking of some of the hydrocarbons and then vaporizing such partially cracked hydrocarbons and subjecting the vapors to conditions of time, temperature and `pressure dependent upon the end product desired. l

The invention described herein relates to certain improvements in apparatus for carrying out` the above described method -and cousists,generally stated, in the provision of a retort or receptacle into which the liquid' is fed and wherein it is subjected to heat, the temperature of which will be dependent upon the character of the oil and the extent'. of cracking desired 'in this retort 'or' receptacle, and of a. retort into which the partially cracked hydrocarbons and any vapors formed inv the first retort are fed yforitheir instantaneous vaporization of the liquid ortions and subsequent to suchy vaporization subjected to conditions .of tem-- perature and pressure, the duration of which will depend upon the cha/racter of the end products desired. j

While not in all cases necessary, it will bee-generally preferred t0 so arrangethe two retorts in which the hydrocarbons are treated,.that the latter will -pass downwardly from one to the `other and also to so arrange theI retorts that all may be raised to-.the required temperature by heat from one or acommon; source: The invention is .hereln-` after more: fully described! and claimed.

Inl the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 is a sectional elevation o the upper portion of a. furnace and? retorts arranged therein; Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the upper portlon of the. main retort with the auxiliary revretort into the. main or vapor cracking retort; Fig. 7 is a sectional elevation showing the upper portion ofthe main retort and having the liquid cracking retort arranged inlts upper end and rotatably supported therein, and also showing a means for detaching 4any carbon which may be 4formed and adhere to the sides of the liquid crackin retort; Fig. 8 is a view similar to Fig. 7 illustrating a modification thereof, as regards the manner of introducingthe liquid into the liquid cracking retort; Fig. 9 is a transverse sectional view on the line IX--IX, Fig. 7. j

In the practice of the invention, the main or vapor-cracking retort 1 isvarranged, as is customary, in a suitable furnace 2,=the upper and lower ends thereof preferably projecting beyond the top and bottom of the furnace so as to permit of ready accessthereto. The liquid cracking retort 3- is so arranged that the movement of the hydrocarbons under treatment will be substantiallyvertical fromA one zone or phase of treatment to the next, until discharged from the lower end of the main retort. In' Fig. 1 the cracking retort 3 is arranged in the upper portion:l of the vapor cracking retort 1 so as to receive heat from the furnace, which heat will be transmitted through the walls-of the retort 1. It will be generally preferred to surround the portion of the retort 1 projecting above the furnace by non-conducting walls 3a so as to prevent the loss of heat by radiation.

In treating hydrocarbons, the oil is .fed by a pipe 4 into the retort 3, the pipe extending down a sufficient distance to discharge the o il near the bottom of the retort and beneath the surface of the oil contained therein. Communication is established between the retort 3 and` the vapor cracking' or main retort 1 by means of a tube 5 extending up into the auxiliary retort 3 a sufficient distance to maintain ay desired amount of oil therein. In some cases, it may be preferred tri-discharge the liquid oil as such, but heated to or close to a vaporizing temperature, into' the retort Land in such cases thel rate of flow into the retort 3 is so regulated as to maintain the desired flow through the top of the feed tube 5 into the retort l.

In order to insure the vaporization of the oil as it enters the retort l, it is caused to impact against a highly heated metal surface which may be either a metal disk, as 6, arranged immediately below the outlet of the tube 5, or as shown in Fig. 1, or the outlet tube may be so arranged as to discharge against the Walls of the retort l. In some cases it may be desired to maintain a higher pressure in the retort 3 than in the vapor cracking retort, in which case provision will be made for retarding the flow of the liquid from the retort 3 by contracting the inlet or discharge opening of the outlet tube 5 or by means of a valve having an operating handle extending through the top of the retort 3, as shown in Fig. 6.

If desired, the retort 3 may be supported upon the stirring rod 8 as shown in Figs. 7 and 8, in which case the retort 3 Will be arranged entirely Within the retort l and will be capable of being rotated with the stirring rod. This construction would permit -of the employment of a scraper for removing any carbon which may be formed on the Walls of the retort 3.

secured to a .suitable support, as the feed pipe .tand projecting radially so as tocontact with .the outer Walls of the retort. In this construction., the support for the Wings will be held stationary `While the retort is rotated.

If desired, the oil to be treated may be fed up through the stirring rod into the retort 3 and the oil may be discharged from the retort through a series of perfor-ations in the upper portion of the retort. as shown in Figs. 7 and 8.

It is characteristic of the construction shown and described herein that by regulating the flow of material into the auxiliary retort 3, entire vaporization in addition to the cracking may be effected as shown in Fig. 1, the level of the oil being kept below the upper end of the tube 5, or by maintainingr a level of oil above the upper end of this tube, oil will be fed into the main or cracking` retort and vaporized immediately on its entrance thereinto. Generally, such a temperature will be maintained in the auxiliary retort as to effect cracking of the oil in the liquid phase, provided other conditions required for cracking are maintained at the same time, and this cracking will be extended and completed in the main retort l.

It is further characteristic of the apparatus described herein, that the icracking both in the liquid and the gaseous phase and also at the vaporization stage, whether effected in the auxiliary or in the main retort. is effected by heat from the common source, thus As shown therein," this scraper consists of a4 series of blades 9 carrying out the heat cycle forming the subject matter of an application filed February o, 1917, Serial Number 146,725.

I claim herein as my invention:

l. In an apparatus for treating hydrocarbons, the combination of a furnace, a main retort arranged in a substantially vertical position in said furnace, an auxiliary retort arranged in such relation to the main retort as to receive heat therefrom, means for feedingoil into the, auxiliary retort, means for maintaining a body of,oil in said auxiliary retort and means for conducting fluid from the auxiliary retort into the main retort.

2. In an apparatus for treating hydrocarbons, the combination of a furnace, a main retort arranged in a substantially ver vtical position in saidA furnace, an auxiliary retort arranged in line vertically with the main retort and adapted to receive heat therefrom, means for feeding oil into the auxiliary retort, means for maintaining a body of oil in said auxiliary retort and means for conducting fluid from the auxiliary retort into the main retort.

The combination of a furnace, a main retort arranged in a substantially vertical position in said furnace and having an outlet adjacent to its lower end, an auxiliary retort arranged in line vertically with the main retort, means for conducting` fluid from the auxiliary retort, means for maintaining a body of oil in said auxiliary retort into the upper portion of the main retort and means for feeding oil into the auxiliary retort.

4C. In an apparatus for treating hydrocarbons, the combination of a furnace, a main retort arranged in a substantially vertical position in said furnace, an auxiliary retort arranged in such relation to the main retort as to receive heat from the main retort, means for feeding oil into the auxiliary retort, means for maintaining a body of oil in. said auxiliary retort, a connection from the auxiliary retort to the upper portion of the main retort.

5. In an apparatus for treating hydrocarbons, the combination of a furnace, a main retort arranged in a substantially vertical position in the furnace, an auxiliary retort arranged in such relation to the main retort as to receive 'heat from the main retort, means for feeding oil into the auxiliary retert, means for maintaining a body of oil in said auxiliary retort, a connection fromvthe auxiliary retort to the upper portion ofthe main portion of the main retort, and adapted to direct the fluid against 'the highly heated surface within the mainretort.

6. In an apparatus for treating hydrocarbons, the combination of a furnace, a main retort arranged in a substantially vertical position in the furnace, an auxiliary retort arranged above the main retort and provided with .means to close the upper end of the 'main retort, means for feeding oil into ing its lower end adapted to close the upper the auxiliary retort, means for maintaining end of the main retort, means for feeding oil a body of oil in said auxiliary retort yand into the auxiliary retort, means formainmeans for conducting fluid from the auxiltaining a body of oil in said auxiliary retort 5 yiary retort into the main retort. and means for conducting fluid from the 15 7. In an apparatus for treating hydrocarauxiliary retort into the main retort. v

bons, the combination of a furnace, a main In testimony whereof I have hereunto Set retort arranged in asubstantially vertical my hand. position in the said furnace, an auxiliary re- 10 tort arra nged above the main retort and hav- WALTER F. RITTMAN. 

